Dolls Design preview

For this project, I decided to stick with my personal aesthetic, which is a cutesy or kawaii aesthetic; however, I want to incorporate some of the gyaru fashion aesthetic into my project. According to Wikipedia, the kawaii “ is a Japanese cultural phenomenon which emphasizes cuteness, childlike innocence, charm, and simplicity.” It started to take off in the 1970s with the rise of cute characters in manga and anime. The merchandise that came from that eventually helped bring the culture forward with companies like Sanrio taking off with their characters like Hello Kitty. The aesthetic is characterized in characters by having big heads with big eyes and small mouths, that characterization began to influence other aspects of the aesthetic, such as fashion and product design. Although the aesthetic has different subcultures and aesthetics, it is also characterized by the soft and vibrant pastel colors that allow that innocence to flourish. According to the Yume Twins article, How to Ace the ‘kawaii Aesthetic’ by Kim Kahan, the aesthetic had begun to develop and take off when a very popular culture magazine called Olive “was published as a sister companion to the Popeye ‘city boy’ magazine” and then changed their concept from city to romantic which emphasized what the Kawaii aesthetic is composed of today, this shift called the attention of many girls within the aesthetic and others forming that change in popularity of Kawaii. This same article then discusses different kawaii subgenres such as Yume-Kawaii, Yami-kawaii, Guro-kawa, and Busu-kawaii. Similarly, according to Wikipedia, the gyaru aesthetic began to take off in the 1970s, however, it peaked in the 90s and 2000s. It is a fashion subculture that is supposed to be somewhat risqué and seen as a form of resistance. The Kogal subculture within the gyaru aesthetic according to wikipedia came from “1992 to 1993, just after the Japanese bubble burst, high school girls with short skirts, loose socks, and wearing uniforms appeared, which began to attract attention from the mass media.” many highschool students used this style as form of resistance against the strict rules within their institutions. Similarly, the aesthetic can be characterized by the dramatic makeup within many of the subgenres, with even Hime Gyaru using subtler makeup, but still creating dramatic effects with white eyeliner and lashes.

My plan for this project is to create either a 3D printed doll/clay doll with moveable limbs or a small blind box series of 4 or 5 plushies with a stiff faceplate and moveable arms. I suggest also adding some magnetic accessories to the arms and head. If I make the doll, I plan to use the basis for the kawaii aesthetic and create one that looks similar to a chibi character reminiscent of manga or anime character design. I have made a doll out of clay and fabric before, so if I cannot access a 3D printer, I will attempt the doll again with a more refined form. This project is a learning process, and I’m excited to share my progress with you.Regarding the design, I’m thinking of creating dull eyes with white highlights and maybe using pastels to create the makeup look. When I made my previous dolls, I used plastic eyes, but they looked too bug-like for my taste. For this project, I will draw on the eyes onto the face’s surface. In terms of the main body or torso in the past, I made a fabric body to hold the limbs, which is reminiscent of American Girl dolls, so if I make it out of clay again, I will do that again, however, if I 3D print it, I want to make sure it has joints to be functional. For the blind box series, I am thinking of making plastic face plates for the dolls or clay ones reminiscent of dolls like Monchhichis, Popmart plush blindboxes, and the Doubou plush blindboxes. It would be a good way to make the plush more sturdy and function like a doll or keychain. I am stuck between a regular animal faceplate or a human faceplate. My plan for the designs is to create an animal costume or body with elements of different gyaru sub genres, incorporating the kawaii aesthetic in the design of the face and head. 

In terms of material, I think sourcing animal print minky or fur fabric will be necessary for both the doll or the surprise box, because the gyaru aesthetic, especially the Kuro Gyaru subculture, which I am leaning towards, because I want to make my doll a tan skin color. I am going to see if I can order some cosclay, which has different levels of hardness, that can help it be easier to mold and attach, mainly if I use it for the face plate on the blindbox dolls, because then I still can sew on the faceplate and glue it down. I will also need to use tinfoil or a Papier-mâchée base; that way, the inside will be easier to hollow out when I add hair or fur.  If I go the 3D printed route, I might use Womp 3D to model it instead of Blender because they have a lot of resources and can 3D print it for me. Besides the fabric, I will need pastel, a sealant for any paint work I do, and magnets for the accessories. I might also use resin to make the eyes shiny. I definitely think that if I start gathering my materials this week, I can get the project done and probably even make both options, mainly if I use clay because I already have that at my disposal and I have experience making them. I also think that if I have extra time, I might be able to create some type of packaging design for the dolls and plushes and print it out on some cardstock so that it can look more like a packaged good.